Reproductive performance of laying snails (Archachatina marginata) fed on roughages and different concentrate mixes

Abstract

Background This study aims to investigate the reproduction output of Archachatina marginata fed on roughage and concentrate feed with leaf meal-inclusive diets. One hundred fifty points of lay snails weighing between 150 and 170 g were randomly allotted to 5 treatment diets with three replicates, ten snails per replicate, designated as treatment 2 (GNCD) which has groundnut cake, treatment 3 (GLLM) has Gliricidia sepium, treatment 4 (MOLM) has Moringa oleifera, and treatment 5 (LLLM) has Leucaena leucocephala leaf meals as protein source in snail diet and a control (treatment 1) (UPWP) fed on roughage (unripe pawpaw and watermelon peel) in a 12-week feed trial. Feed intake, weight gain, egg lay, egg fertility, hatchability, and gonadosomatic index were measured. Results The result revealed snails fed with UPWP had the least final weight and weight gain which was accompanied by the highest feed intake across the treatments. Average egg laid, hatchability, fertility, embryo mortality, and average juvenile produced by snails on roughage-based diet were significantly the least across the treatments. High gonadosomatic index of snails on leaf meal-based diet accompanied with better reproductive output in laying snails was recorded. Conclusion Snails fed with Leucaena leucocephala-inclusive diet had better egg production, fertility, hatchability, and juvenile snails accompanied with gonadosomatic index across the treatments. Concentrate ration is essential for optimal reproductive output in snails.

Growth Performance and Lipid Profile of Archachatina Marginata (Giant African Land Snail) Fed Varying Levels of Ripe Eggplant Fruits Based Diets

“…The African giant land snail is predominantly favoured in snail farming. Typically, snails consume approximately 3-4% of their body weight in Feed daily (Jimoh & Akinola, 2020). Like other animals, the growth of snails varies depending on their diet.…”

“…Additionally, it aids in repairing shell damage resulting from accidents or egg-laying activities. A study by Jimoh and Akinola (2020) investigated the reproductive performance of laying snails (Archachatina marginata) when fed a diet comprising roughages and various concentrate mixes. The research highlighted the necessity for further studies into using compounded rations for snails to address the scarcity of fruits, tubers, and leaves during the dry season.…”

“…Therefore, prioritizing the domestication and commercialization of snails is crucial for preserving snails and their health benefits and ensuring a consistent supply of snail meat throughout the year. Nigerians need to focus on domesticating and commercializing snails to meet the recommended animal protein intake set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (Afolabi, 2013;Jimoh & Akinola, 2020).…”

Effect of Different Humidity Levels On Weights of Reproductive Organs and Growth Traits of Archachatina Marginata Snails

“…The authors showed that larger dimension of the oviduct is needed for snail species with bigger eggs. The higher weight of snails reared High Humidity environment explains their increased oviduct (reproductive) weight and higher number of eggs laid [33].…”

Economic analysis of snail production and its contribution to food security of farming households in Nigeria

“…The productivity of snail farming depends to a great extent on the utilisation of present-day improved techniques and strategies in production which requires gaining information on snails' hatchery, feeding, housing, and marketing of its end products. Ongoing improvement in snail production includes the use of concentrate diets in the feeding of snails and this requires elaborate information from experts (Jimoh and Akinola, 2020). Snails are commonly fed on diets such as fruits of pawpaw, pineapple, banana, pear, oil palm and watermelon and leaves of cassava, pawpaw, cocoyam, and water leaf.…”